Turkey's president blames US for returning world to 'dark days'US has chosen to be part of problem not solution, says Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in London speechPatrick Wintour Diplomatic editor Mon 14 May 2018 09.37 EDT Last modified on Mon 14 May 2018 12.43 EDT

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has said the world is living in dark times reminiscent of the years leading up to the second world war as he lambasted decisions by Donald Trump to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

Offering himself as the spokesman of the Muslim Middle East, he also criticised Europe for not doing as much as Turkey to help 3.5 million Syrian refugees, adding the EU had never fulfilled its part of a refugee deal with Turkey by providing promised cash....

Snip... He said: “America has chosen to be part of the problem and not the solution so they have lost their role as international mediator. We cannot stop feeling like being in dark days of pre-world war two.”...

Israel-Turkey spat escalates over Gaza violenceBy ARON HELLER | Associated Press 3 hours agoJERUSALEM – Israel and Turkey exchanged diplomatic barbs Wednesday as the spat between the former allies continued to escalate following deadly violence along Israel's border with Gaza.

A day after it expelled the Israeli ambassador, Turkey asked Israel's consul general in Istanbul to leave as well. Israel, in turn, summoned a top Turkish diplomat to be reprimanded for the humiliation of Israel's ambassador as he was kicked out of the country.

The exchanges came less than two years after the countries reconciled and exchanged ambassadors after six years of animosity. Once close allies in an Arab-dominated neighborhood, Israel and Turkey's ties began to decline after now-President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose party has roots in Turkey's Islamist movement, first came to power as prime minister in 2003. Relations imploded in 2010 after a confrontation between Israeli commandos and a pro-Islamic Turkish flotilla trying to breach the blockade of Gaza left 10 Turkish activists dead....

Leaders of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states arrived in Istanbul on May 18 to attend an extraordinary summit, called by Turkey, in Istanbul on May 18 to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and to denounce the relocation of the United States Embassy to Jerusalem, as well as the Israeli attacks that killed over 60 civilians in protests on May 14.

Representatives from more than 40 countries, including presidents, prime ministers and other high level officials took part in the event.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu have been carrying out hectic phone diplomacy over the last few days to make the OIC summit a successful one with high-level participation.Foreign ministers of the OIC member states also gathered on May 18 in Istanbul hours before the extraordinary summit.

A total of 15 OIC member state foreign ministers are attending the gathering, including Iran, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Azerbaijan, Tunisia, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. Speaking at the Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting Preparatory to the OIC Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference, Çavuşoglu called “the shameful incidents” in Jerusalem “the final straw.”

“We must ensure that the Israeli authorities and Israeli soldiers who point guns at defenseless people are held accountable,” Cavuşoğlu said.

An anti-establishment leader takes power after a contentious election. His administration quickly proves itself remarkably corrupt; but he subverts the legal system and is able not only to suppress investigations into his corruption — his supporters denounce it all as a “witch hunt” — but also to consolidate his rule and undermine institutions (the “deep state”) that might have limited his power.

Am I talking about Donald Trump? I could be. But the figure I actually have in mind is Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Turkey, whose success in getting away with obvious corruption by politicizing law offers a disturbing preview of how Trump may become the authoritarian ruler he clearly wants to be. Not surprisingly, Trump, who basically seems to like dictators in general, has expressed admiration for Erdogan and his regime.

Authoritarian instincts and contempt for rule of law aren’t the only things Erdogan and Trump have in common. Both also have contempt for expertise. In particular, both have surrounded themselves with people notable both for their ignorance and for their bizarre views. Erdogan has advisers who believe that he is under psychic assault; Trump has advisers who yell profanities at each other while on trade missions....

On 29 May 1993 Neo-Nazis firebombed the home of a Turkish-German family in Solingen, killing two women and three girls, and injuring 14 others.

Bilateral ties have been in crisis over differences on human rights and a German ban on Turkish poll campaigning.

The German Foreign Ministry banned Turkish politicians from campaigning in the country ahead of the 24 June election, citing a rule excluding non-EU dignitaries from campaign events in Germany without federal approval....

Turkish Lira Extends Its World Beating Advance to a Third DayBy Tugce Ozsoy May 30, 2018, 2:56 AM PDT Updated on May 30, 2018, 5:11 AM PDTSocGen says the rebound in the currency still has legsThe lira advances as much as 2.1 percent as the dollar drops

The lira climbed the most among major global peers for a third straight day, buoyed by the dollar’s decline and optimism over the central bank’s readiness to shore up the currency.

It appreciated as much as 2.1 percent, putting the Turkish currency on course for its longest winning streak in a month. While options traders are still pessimistic on the lira, they’re paying less to bet on its decline than the ruble for the first time in about two weeks...

Istanbul, Turkey - When Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the Turkish Republic nearly a century ago, the former military leader banished religion from the public sphere and looked westwards to Europe for inspiration.

After replacing Islamic law (sharia) with European civil codes, he installed the principles of secularism into the Constitution, banned the Muslim call to prayer in Arabic and pushed for the social integration of the sexes, reforms which would radically alter the fabric of the Muslim-majority country which only years earlier was the seat of the Ottoman Empire.

And now, as Turkey prepares for crucial presidential and parliamentary elections, the debate as to whether the Muslim world's model democracy is abandoning its secular model has resurfaced....

Snip... Opposition groups have begun depicting the 64-year-old President as a 'Caliph-in-waiting' who seeks sweeping powers to change the country's laws to greater reflect its growing Muslim identity....

HDP supporters wear cardboard masks with the face of its imprisoned leader Selahattin Demirtas, during a pre-election campaign event tour in the Esenyurt neighborhood of Istanbul. Photographer: Kostas Tsironis/BloombergTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s hopes of cementing his one-man rule come down to how well he’s sowed divisions among Kurds.

With several polls suggesting he’ll lose his parliamentary majority on June 24 and be forced into a runoff presidential ballot, Erdogan has a lot riding on the millions of them he’s tried to turn against the pro-Kurdish HDP party leader, Selahattin Demirtas, who was jailed in 2016.

Problem is, for as many hearts as Erdogan has won among religious Kurds who like that he’s put Islam at the core of national life after decades of secularism, there are enemies determined to bring him down.

“The Kurds opposing Erdogan want to settle scores with him at the ballot box,” Murat Baykan, an HDP politician, said late last month at a party headquarters in the Mediterranean port city of Mersin, home to hundreds of thousands of Kurdish migrants....

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan is seen failing to get the majority he needs to win a June 24 presidential election in the first round, but is expected to gain a majority in the second round two weeks later, a survey by pollster SONAR showed on Tuesday.

Turks will vote in both parliamentary and presidential elections later this month after Erdogan, the president, declared a snap election in April. After the vote, Turkey will switch to a powerful executive presidency that was narrowly approved in a referendum last year.

The survey of 3,000 respondents in 26 of Turkey’s 81 provinces showed Erdogan receiving 48.3 percent of votes in the first round, with the main opposition party candidate, Muharrem Ince, seen at 31.4 percent. The poll was conducted between May 29 and June 3.

More than 53 percent of respondents said they would vote for Erdogan against Ince in the second round....

Turkey warns missile system from Russia "WILL be used" as tensions with Donald Trump SOARAS TENSIONS between Turkey and the US soar, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan released a strong statement on Tuesday in which he claimed Turkey will put to use the S-400 surface-to-air missile systems once they are delivered from Russia, adding its main objective was to reduce Ankara’s dependency on US arms supplies.By MARTINA BET PUBLISHED: 00:55, Wed, Jun 13, 2018 | UPDATED: 12:55, Wed, Jun 13, 2018

Mr Erdogan's remarks come after months of contention between Turkey and Nato allies, in particular the US, who see the purchase of a Russian-built missile system as a threat to NATO countries’ defence interoperability.

The Turkish leader said: “We will not just buy the S-400s and place them in a storehouse.

In Turkey, the opposition finally unites in bid to end Erdogan’s dominanceBy Kareem Fahim June 15 at 4:31 AM

ISTANBUL — Muharrem Ince, a former high school physics teacher who is a Turkish presidential candidate, hurled taunts at his main opponent, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with the reckless abandon of a competitor who smelled blood.

He paced with a microphone on top of his campaign bus on a recent afternoon, surrounded by enchanted supporters, mocking Erdogan’s economic policies, accusing the president of ginning up security threats for votes and chiding him for spending lavish sums on palaces, calling it a “sin.”

These are heady days for Turkey’s opposition parties, which are charging toward elections for president and parliament in just over a week with a rare sense of unity and a hunch that Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for a decade and a half, may be more vulnerable than he has been in years....

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN)Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has emerged victorious in a high-stakes election, seeing off the most serious challenge yet to his political dominance and tightening his grip on the nation he has ruled for 15 years.

Defeating the twin threats of a reinvigorated opposition and a weakened currency, Erdogan declared himself the winner even before official results were confirmed.

With 97.7% of the votes counted, Sadi Guven, chief of Turkey's Supreme Election Board, said Erdogan had won an absolute majority, avoiding a runoff against his principal challenger, Muharrem Ince. State media put Erdogan on 52.5%, well ahead of Ince on 31%.

"The winners of the June 24 elections are Turkey, the Turkish nation, sufferers of our region and all oppressed (people) in the world," Erdogan said in a victory address from a balcony at the AKP's offices in the capital Ankara in the early hours of Monday morning....

Turkey sacks thousands through emergency decree as Erdogan cements powerTurkey has been under a state of emergency for nearly two years, declared after a failed coup attempt in July 2016.by Associated Press / Jul.08.2018 / 1:51 AM ET

ISTANBUL — Turkey's government on Sunday issued an emergency decree dismissing thousands of public servants for alleged links to terror groups.

The decree, published in the Official Gazette, sacked 18,632 civil servants, including nearly 9,000 police officers, some 6,000 members of the military and hundreds of teachers and academics. Their passports will be cancelled.

Turkey has been under a state of emergency for nearly two years, declared after a failed coup attempt in July 2016. The government blames a U.S.-based cleric for orchestrating the coup and has sacked or arrested people suspected of links to him. The cleric, Fethullah Gulen, denies the allegations. But the purge has broadened to include other "terror groups," with more than 130,000 people dismissed.

The decree is expected to be the last of a series of emergency laws as Turkey's ruling system will fully transform into an executive presidency Monday, when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is sworn in once again following his victory in last month's elections.

The cabinet and administrative structure will be completely revamped, coming under the authority of Erdogan....

Erdogan sworn in as Turkey's first executive presidentTurkish leader is scheduled to announce his cabinet on Monday, which may result in policy changes in a number of areas.by Umut Uras 23 minutes ago

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is being sworn in as president of Turkey after his election victory last month which allowed him to keep his post with increased powers.

The inauguration ceremony on Monday was scheduled to be attended by dozens of foreign leaders and dignitaries, including Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The event in the capital, Ankara, concludes the transition from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency, in line with the constitutional changes approved in a referendum last year.

Under the new system, 64-year-old Erdogan will lead the state's executive branch and have the right to appoint and remove vice-presidents, a newly introduced position, as well as ministers, high-level officials and senior judges - without parliamentary approval....

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan named his son-in-law as economy czar in a new administration and removed the last member of an investor-friendly financial team that’s been gradually pushed to the sidelines. The lira plunged the most since a failed coup in 2016.

Berat Albayrak, a former energy minister who entered parliament for the first time in 2015, will be in charge of a new ministry of treasury and finance, combining what used to be the two most powerful economic jobs. He’ll replace Mehmet Simsek as holder of the most senior economy portfolio.

Simsek was deputy prime minister, and the last man standing from a group of politicians who’ve been trusted by investors over the years to rein in the president’s go-for-growth instincts and keep Turkey’s $880 billion economy on a sustainable path. There was no job for him in the downsized cabinet of 16 ministries -- or for Naci Agbal, the outgoing finance minister.

“Their inclusion in the cabinet would have been a nod by Erdogan to the markets,” said Inan Demir, an economist at Nomura International in London. “Such a signal is no longer there.”...

A notorious televangelist has been arrested by Turkish police from his home on dozens of charges that include fraud, sexual assault, and military espionage.

Adnan Oktar was arrested in Istanbul by the city's police financial crimes unit after an operation that had spread over five provinces, Anadolu Agency reported.

According to Turkish daily Hurriyet, security forces seized an arms cache, body armours and armoured vehicles at the televangelist's residence. Oktar was caught as he was trying to run away, the daily added.

A total of 235 arrest warrants were issued in a major crackdown on his supporters, with 79 arrested so far in raids supported by helicopters....

It might seem strange to worry about an economy that grew 7.4 percent last year, but despite — or rather, because of — that good news, Turkey is showing all the classic signs of an emerging markets crisis.

It’s pretty simple. Turkey has and continues to borrow a lot of dollars that are getting harder to pay back now that its currency is falling fast. Or, more specifically, its banks and companies have. But, in any case, the fact that its government hasn’t built up a big rainy-day fund of dollars has left it with a catch−22: Turkey can either try to save its economy from the effects of a weaker currency by increasing interest rates, or from the effects of higher interest rates by allowing its currency to continue dropping. Which is to say that it really has to decide how it doesn’t want to save things.

But even though there are no good choices here, there are worse ones. Higher rates might slow the economy down enough that some companies would get into trouble, but a weaker currency would make that even more likely by increasing their debt burdens, potentially setting off a self-fulfilling panic. Foreign investors, after all, would pull even more money out of the country if they saw Turkish businesses going under — they’ve already been moving it out in response to the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes that have made holding money in the United States more attractive — which would then push their currency down even more, and, as a result, send even more companies into default....

President Trump is demanding that Turkey release an American pastor it has held for nearly two years after a Turkish judge ruled to keep him in detention for three more months.

His message comes as the Senate weighs bipartisan legislation that would restrict loans from international financial institutions to Turkey until it releases Andrew Brunson and other U.S. citizens, of which there are more than a dozen.

The extension of his detention is also a sign that U.S. relations with its NATO ally have not improved despite attempts by senior officials to repair the distrust and paper over the hostility.

Following an attempted coup in Turkey in 2016, Brunson, a 50-year-old evangelical pastor from North Carolina who has done missionary work in Turkey for 23 years, was arrested as part of a sweeping crackdown on political opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Despite his case being raised by U.S. officials at the highest levels, including President Donald Trump, he's now standing trial for terrorism and espionage....

Snip...The Trump administration has invested great focus and energy in Brunson's case, in part, because of his evangelical Christian faith -- shared by Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence, who has raised Brunson's case as well....

mrgravyard49 wrote:It seems to me All the players for Ezekiel 38 are on board, all except==Turkey.. God needs to give them a push.

It won't take much, their President has almost all the power he wants. His goal is to be the caliph of all muslims, the great leader of the whole muslim world. When the Trump peace plan comes out, watch him. He will become demanding of the outcome, especially regarding Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

God Bless you

David

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God

Unprecedented sanctions imposed by the U.S., its NATO ally, have added to the cross-currents buffeting investors. They’ve already been despairing at policy makers’ failure to contain inflation and stem the slide in the lira under pressure from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to bolster growth.

The U.S. “move will likely only incense Erdogan and a commensurate response is already promised,” Timothy Ash, a strategist at BlueBay Asset Management in London, said in emailed comments.

What Hikes?Turkey's real policy rate is headed back to where it was before tightening...

Turkish president slams U.S. sanctions over detained American pastor as 'disrespectful'By DENIS SLATTERY| NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |AUG 04, 2018 | 2:10 PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blasted the U.S. Saturday for imposing sanctions on a pair of his top ministers in retaliation for the detention of an American pastor.

Erdogan called the sanctions “serious disrespect toward Turkey” and accused the U.S. of hypocrisy for demanding the release of evangelical pastor Andrew Craig Brunson while he is being tried for alleged links to terror groups.

Turkey has been “patient” since the sanctions were imposed Wednesday, Erdogan said before ordering authorities to “freeze the assets of America’s justice and interior ministers in Turkey, if there are any.”...

The newly installed Prime Minister of Armenia is amping up efforts to get a face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump, an effort that recently received a boost in Congress, when nearly 50 members formally petitioned the White House to organize a meeting with the Armenia leader.

Nikol Pashinyan was swept into office in May after leading a poplar revolution against the former regime led by Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, who was forced out of office by Pashinyan, a prominent newspaper editor and reformist voice.

On the heels of this electoral victory, Pashinyan has been seeking a one-on-one with Trump to help bolster ties between the United States and Armenia.

The request for a meeting with Trump comes as tensions escalate between the United States and Turkey, which was recently hit with sanctions for its continued detainment of American Pastor Andrew Brunson. Proponents of the meeting with Pashinyan see an opportunity to bolster ties between the United States and Armenia as diplomatic tensions escalate with Turkey, which has traditionally had chilly relations with Armenia....

Worries over a fragile Turkish economy and the risk of contagion in Europe unnerved investors on Friday and sent the lira to a record low against the US dollar.

The Turkish currency plummeted as much as 17% against the dollar, reflecting a range of concerns, including tensions with the United States and the unwillingness of Turkish authorities to raise interest rates.

President Donald Trump, who imposed sanctions on senior Turkish officials earlier this month for their role in the detention of an American pastor, upped the stakes on Friday with a promise to increase metals tariffs on Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was defiant. "Don't forget this: if they have dollars, we have our people, justice and God," he said. "We will come out of the economic war successfully."

The rhetoric did little to calm markets. The lira, which has dropped almost 40% against the dollar this year, resumed its slide as Erdogan spoke.

(Reuters) - Turkey is a key NATO ally to the United States, but the countries’ bilateral relationship has become quite strained.

The Turkish flag flies at the Embassy of Turkey in Washington, U.S., August 6, 2018. REUTERS/Brian SnyderReverberations spread through global markets on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed higher tariffs on metal imports from Turkey, sending the country's lira currency TRYTOM=D3 deeper into a tailspin.

The fallout has been exacerbated over American Christian pastor Andrew Brunson, who is now under house arrest in Turkey. The Trump administration has demanded his release.

But Brunson is not the only sticking point between the two countries. The following is a look at a few of the issues that have contributed to the deterioration in relations between the United States and Turkey: ...

Iran threatens Trump with WORLD WAR 3 as it vows solidarity with Turkey over liraIRAN has threatened the US with WORLD WAR 3 in a vow of unity with Turkey after President Donald Trump imposed further sanctions on the nation that crippled the lira.By CARLY READ PUBLISHED: 04:46, Sun, Aug 12, 2018 | UPDATED: 11:18, Sun, Aug 12, 2018

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif warned Mr Trump that the “entire world would unite” and use “force” the US to scrap fresh sanctions imposed as a result of a spat over a detained American pastor and Turkey’s defiance to buy oil from Iran.

Mr Zarif - in true Trump fashion - took to Twitter to condemn the new sanctions in a chilling threat.

He said: “Trump's jubilation in inflicting economic hardship on its NATO ally Turkey is shameful.

“The U.S. has to rehabilitate its addiction to sanctions & bullying or entire world will unite - beyond verbal condemnations - to force it to.”

He added: “We've stood with neighbours before, and will again now.”...

On Friday, the Turkish lira suffered its biggest one-day devaluation in nearly two decades, dropping more than 14 percent against the dollar. The minister of finance — the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — couldn’t avert the slide, delivering a halting speech that did little to boost confidence.

But Erdogan, as he so often does, placed the blame on a foreign scapegoat: the United States.

“Shame on you, shame on you,” he declared at a rally. "You are swapping your strategic partner in NATO for a pastor.”

The pastor in question is Andrew Brunson, an American clergyman who has been in Turkish custody since 2016. He is charged with espionage and other crimes — charges that he and U.S. officials reject. Attempts to win his freedom have so far failed.

According to my colleagues, Ankara hoped to swap Brunson for Hakan Atilla, a banker convicted in the United States for his role in a scheme that skirted U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil. But the Trump administration resents Turkey’s use of Brunson as a political hostage. A high-level meeting in Washington last week with a visiting Turkish delegation ended abruptly after the Americans demanded the pastor’s immediate release....

What happens next in Turkey? It probably won't be goodby Charles Riley August 14, 2018: 5:51 AM ET

The worst may be yet to come for Turkey.

The Turkish lira has dropped more than 40% against the dollar since January, thrashed by a potent mix of confrontational politics, economic policy confusion and US interest rate hikes. The escalation of a political spat with the United States has fueled volatility and further devalued the lira against other currencies.

Turkish citizens hoping for relief may be left disappointed.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has struck a defiant tone in recent days, dismissing calls for emergency measures that would support the lira and stem the flood of money leaving Turkey. Re-elected in June, Erdogan has further unnerved investors by resisting interest rate hikes, the crisis antidote prescribed by economists.

"I don't think the market will change its mind," said Carsten Hesse, an economist at Berenberg. "The pressure is going to continue until Erdogan makes an U-turn."...

ANKARA (Reuters) - A day after two major ratings agencies downgraded Turkey closer to junk status amid a currency crisis, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he would challenge those playing “games” on the economy.

Standard & Poor’s cited extreme lira volatility and forecasted a recession next year. The rating agency downgraded the rating by one notch to B+ from BB- and kept Turkey’s outlook at stable in a move which came after the lira lost some 40 percent of its value against the dollar this year.

“Today some people are trying to threaten us through the economy, through interest rates, foreign exchange, investment and inflation,” Erdogan told the congress of his ruling AK Party....

Since his re-election in June to a newly powerful presidency, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become the dominant communicator of his government to Turkey’s 81 million people.CreditSergey Ponomarev for The New York TimesBy Carlotta Gall Aug. 17, 2018

ISTANBUL — On the single worst day in the collapse of the Turkish lira, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived late in the evening in a small town, stepped up on the runner of his car, tapped the microphone and delivered, impromptu, one of his most memorable speeches — an appeal to national and religious pride in the face of foreign aggression.

“They are now having various campaigns,” he said, referring to the financial sanctions imposed by the United States against Turkey this month. “You do not lend an ear to those. Don’t forget, they have the dollar, but we have our people, our Allah.”

Since his re-election in June to a newly powerful presidency, Mr. Erdogan has become, more than ever, the dominant government communicator to Turkey’s 81 million people. After 15 years in power, the president still tours the country tirelessly, holding party meetings, cutting ribbons and, most important, giving speeches to approving crowds — three per day on average, most of them broadcast live on multiple news channels....

Snip... He stirs them with historical and religious references, offering to restore Turkey to the glory of the Ottoman Empire. He frames the economic crisis as “them” against “us,” a national struggle comparable to Turkey’s war of independence against Western colonialist powers a century ago....

ISTANBUL — When President Trump tried to strong-arm Turkey into releasing a detained American pastor this month, he gambled that a barrage of punishing measures — market- rattling economic sanctions and humiliating public rebukes — would force President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to quickly relent.

That has not happened. More than three weeks after the crisis started, the pastor, Andrew Brunson, is still under house arrest in Turkey. And Erdogan, for the moment, appears unbowed.

As the Turkish currency swoons, Erdogan has focused domestic anger instead against the United States and portrayed his country as the victim of intentional sabotage — shifting attention from economic problems that analysts said his government has failed for years to adequately address.

Turkey has also received timely displays of support from foreign allies that have undermined the Trump administration’s effort to isolate it. These include a visit to Ankara by Russia’s foreign minister, a phone call between Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron, and a pledge by Qatar to invest $15 billion in the Turkish economy.

Turkey “will not surrender to those who act like a strategic partner but make us a strategic target,” Erdogan said on Saturday, according to the semiofficial Anadolu news agency, in the latest of his daily broadsides aimed at the White House....

Russia plans to deliver its sophisticated S-400 anti-ballistic missile defense systems to Turkey in 2019, state arms exporter Rosoboronexport announced on Tuesday, according to the Turkish daily Hurriyet.

“The contract is implemented within the agreed time limits. In 2019 we will start implementing the contract,” said Alexander Mikheev, the CEO of Rosoboronexport, according to the report.

Turkey and Russia have sealed an agreement on the procurement of the S-400 missiles with Turkey making a down payment for the $2.5 billion cost. Turkish officials said earlier the systems would be deployed in July 2019.

The S-400 anti-missile system, known to NATO as the SA-21 "Growler," is said to have a maximum range of 250 miles, and can bring down airplanes at up to 90,000 feet - more than double the height of a cruising commercial airliner.

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Sunday to bring peace and safety to Iraq and areas in Syria not under Turkish control and said terrorist organizations in those areas would be eliminated.

Turkey, which has backed some rebel groups in Syria, has been working with Russia, which supports Syrian President Bashar al Assad, and Iran for a political resolution to the crisis....

Snip... “It is not for nothing that the only places in Syria where security and peace have been established are under Turkey’s control. God willing, we will establish the same peace in other parts of Syria too. God willing, we will bring the same peace to Iraq, where terrorist organizations are active,” he said....

Germany is considering offering Turkey emergency aid funds as U.S. sanctions continue to wreak havoc on the Turkish economy.

“We would do a lot to try to stabilize Turkey,” as senior German official said, according to the Wall Street Journal. “We don’t have much choice.”

Berlin is still discussing what measures it will take, but is considering everything from a coordinated European bailout like that used in the eurozone debt crisis to project-specific loans by state-controlled development banks and bilateral aid....

The central bank increased its main interest rate to 24% from 17.75%, citing concerns over price stability and saying it would maintain a tight stance on monetary policy until the inflation outlook improves significantly.

“This was much bigger than expected. It sends a signal to the market and it’s a good signal,” said Kevin Daly, portfolio manager for emerging-market debt at Aberdeen Standard Investments. “It gives you some confidence in the lira that you might be able to buy this thing again.”...

Iran's foreign minister has hailed an agreement between Turkey and Russia to avert an assault on the Syrian rebel-held Idlib province, as an example of "responsible diplomacy".

An agreement to halt plans for an offensive on the last major rebel-held stronghold was announced in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday after a meeting between the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On his Twitter account, Zarif wrote: "Intensive responsible diplomacy over the last few weeks-pursued in my visits to Ankara & Damascus, followed by the Iran-Russia-Turkey Summit in Tehran and the meeting (in) Sochi-is succeeding to avert war in #Idlib with a firm commitment to fight extremist terror. Diplomacy works." ...

ISTANBUL — As the chief backer of Syria’s embattled opposition, Turkey now faces a perilous task. It must disarm its rebel allies in Syria’s Idlib province, under a new agreement with Russia, and eliminate the hardcore jihadists in their midst.

If not, Syrian and allied Russian forces have threatened an all-out assault to retake the territory — a battle that aid agencies say would be the most devastating of the war. The cost to Turkey itself could be immense.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, announced an 11th-hour plan on Sept. 17 to avert the bloodshed, giving Turkey more time to persuade its proxies to disarm. Under the pact, Turkish and Russian troops would patrol a demilitarized zone — about nine to 12 miles deep and free of extremists and heavy weapons — and eventually open Idlib’s highways to traffic....

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey’s lira firmed more than 3 percent on Monday after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he expected discussions with Turkish officials this week over the fate of a U.S. pastor whose trial has strained relations.

FILE PHOTO: Turkish lira banknotes are pictured at a currency exchange office in Istanbul, Turkey August 13, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File PhotoThe lira has tumbled 40 percent against the dollar this year, hit by concerns about President Tayyip Erdogan’s influence on monetary policy and the diplomatic row with Washington.

U.S. President Donald Trump has slapped tariffs on Turkey over its trial of Andrew Brunson, an evangelical Christian pastor from North Carolina, who has lived in Turkey for more than two decades. He is facing terrorism charges, which he denies.

Pompeo told reporters in New York he expected talks with Turkish officials to take place this week to discuss Brunson’s fate. Erdogan is visiting the United States this week for a United Nations meeting....

BERLIN — A year ago, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey told Germans of Turkish origin not to vote for Chancellor Angela Merkel, branding her governing coalition “enemies of Turkey.”

On Thursday, Mr. Erdogan arrived in Berlin for a three-day state visit, complete with military honors, a state banquet and a lunch with Ms. Merkel.

The rapprochement is striking and no coincidence: With Turkey suffering the aftershocks of its worst economic crisis in 15 years, Mr. Erdogan has radically changed tune and toned down his anti-Western rhetoric.

“We want to completely leave behind all the problems and to create a warm environment between Turkey and Germany just like it used to be,” he said earlier this week.

For Germany, the aim of this week’s state visit in Berlin, officials say, is to normalize prickly relations with an important NATO partner on Europe’s southeastern flank. For Turkey, indirectly, one goal is to repair relations with the United States, which imposed sanctions this summer over the continued detention of an American pastor....

Snip... “You can’t always choose your guests,” he said. “The Erdogans and Putins and Trumps of this world are a reality and we have to talk to them.”...

Erdogan opens huge mosque in Germany amid rival ralliesInauguration caps a three-day state visit, as supporters and critics of Turkish president take to streets of Cologne.3 hours ago

Thousands of rival demonstrators hit the streets of Cologne as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the country's largest mosque at the end of his visit to Germany.

The inauguration on Saturday capped a controversial three-day state visit aimed at repairing frayed ties with Berlin after two years of tensions.

During his stay in Berlin, Erdogan met twice with Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks, with both leaders signalling their interest in a cautious rapprochement, but also disagreements in a wide variety of issues.

The German Chancellor stressed that "deep differences" remained on civil rights and other issues, while Erdogan blamed Germany of harbouring terrorists....

"He entered the general consulate himself and if he has entered by himself and if he did not exit it, of course this should be proven by the general consulate," Erdogan said at a press conference in Budapest.

Erdogan said the Saudi consulate should have CCTV cameras and should be able to show the video of Khashoggi leaving the building. He mentioned that there are no documents or evidence that show the journalist departing.

The Justice Ministry and the chief prosecutor in Istanbul "started an investigation and efforts are continuing," Erdogan said. Airport entrances and exits are being investigated.

"At the moment there are certain people who arrived from Saudi Arabia. And our chief investigator is investigating everything in this matter."...

Turkish Officials Say Khashoggi Was Killed on Order of Saudi LeadershipBy David D. Kirkpatrick and Carlotta Gall Oct. 9, 2018

ANKARA, Turkey — Top Turkish security officials have concluded that the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on orders from the highest levels of the royal court, a senior official said Tuesday.

The official described a quick and complex operation in which Mr. Khashoggi was killed within two hours of his arrival at the consulate by a team of Saudi agents, who dismembered his body with a bone saw they brought for the purpose.

“It is like ‘Pulp Fiction,’” the official said.

Saudi officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have denied the allegations, insisting that Mr. Khashoggi left the consulate freely shortly after he arrived. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has demanded that the Saudis provide evidence proving their claim....